Serving in the Mexico Mérida Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Monday, December 30, 2013

Sublime feeling of peace

Time is irrelevant to the Lord

Hola Familia,

After we ended our call last week, I just had this sublime
feeling of peace descend and stay in my heart for a good two days or so
afterwards. I love you a lot. Thank you for the display of musical talent.

Hna. Torales and I don't know whether we’ll stay together
after this transfer—it’s like we get closer and closer every day at the same
time we’re getting closer and closer to the possibility of separating. It’s
hard not to love someone when you are both learning essential things from God
together and through each other. We have, as of this week, NO progressing
investigators so we’ve prayed specifically what we need to do to get better. I
love how Heavenly Father answers prayers specifically. We’re changing a lot and
using more and more of Preach My Gospel, which is good.

I feel good about what we’re doing-- I feel like even in the
five weeks I’ve been here, we've really helped to change the ward sentiment
about missionary work. The bishopric thinks we’re great, which feels good. And
we are trying, one by one to really LOVE and BE FRIENDS with the members. Most
of all we’re trying to instill in them a love of Christ because when we really
know Christ, we realize how much we love Him and want to be like Him. And as we
work with Him to be more like Him, we are filled with his love which really is
the definition of joy. And when we're filled with love and joy at the same
time, we want EVERYONE to feel this joy. We want to share the tools to have
this kind of relationship with Christ with everyone. It’s like that quote you
sent me months ago in the MTC, Mom, about how the measure of the depth of our
conversion is our desire to share it with others.

The sad thing is that so many
people don’t realize the hole in their lives without this love. I’ve realized
how AWFUL and PREVELANT Satan’s sentiment of 'all is well' really does trap
people in a very real sense. It is so hard to help people realize their need
for the gospel-- how they could live so much more abundantly, how they could
work toward their divine potential and be infinitely happy-- when they feel
just fine right now. When people haven't been humbled by trials to see their
needs, sometimes they just have to choose humble themselves to have faith that
there is something better in life. I’m trying to figure out how to get people
to do that. :) I think just hit them really hard with the Spirit or something.

Dad, thank you for sending all
of those music files-- that was so much work! I had told Mom that I could only
use CD's because I didn't have a speaker, but it must have been a response to
an email she sent that didn’t copy you. Thank you for your labor of love! And
it didn’t go to waste because I’ll use them when I get home. Or if I find an
mp3-connectable speaker here.

Mmm, Merida
facts...

People really do sleep in hammocks here. I heard some
couples actually share hamacas, which they call 'sleeping in loche' (loche is
the Mayan word for hug) because you can’t help but be next to each other in the
middle of the hammock. At first I thought it was really sweet but then I
remembered how hot and sweaty it is at night. Bleh...

Here in Madero it’s pretty modern, but it kind of changes
street-by-street. All of them are one or two rooms, but the nice ones have
sheet-rocked walls and air conditioning and some even have nice TVs. All of
them are completely tile floors because you just sweep up the dirt, throw water
everywhere and mop everything out. A lot of houses are stucco outside
with cement walls inside, painted in really bright colors (they paint a lot and
in really bright colors because the sun fades everything so quickly). Like
ours! I love our new house!

Hna. Torales, the model, exiting our new house

There is an almost-American supermarket a few blocks from us
(I’m going to miss that if I get transfered), which is wonderfully convenient
because we can get produce and bread and household stuff all in one spot. It’s
still weird to me how they don’t refrigerate eggs, milk (which comes in boxes
on the shelves), or cream. I think I might try to take home some 'media crema'
with me when I come home, because the boxes last until you open them. We put
media crema on everything—I’m not exactly sure what it is but it makes
everything taste good. It’s kind of like sour cream but not sour.

And… everyone here refers to a week as 8 days instead of
seven. If they tell you they want to meet a week from now, they tell you 'I'll
see you in eight days.'

And... I eat a LOT of meat, at every meal, enormous portions
dripping with grease. Lots of beans and tortillas too.

Called to Serve

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The kind of faith I want to have...

"The spirit of this work is urgency... We must move more rapidly. We must take things up a notch. If we have to call down miracles of angels, then call them down. The drama is unfolding and we must do whatever it takes to ratchet up the work... Every dispensation begins with a vision. We must have a vision. We are the church that dreams dreams. We are the church that has visions. We must believe in miracles. We must believe and build on what our forefathers have done…We must live up to our potential. God will bless us with whatever we need. God wants us to just see what He sees and know what He knows. He wants us to ratchet up the vision. God is easy to please and hard to satisfy...This is not convenient, easy work. We have got to take things to the edge. We have to move into the realm of the miraculous. We have to live in such a way that we cannot do it alone anymore- where we will resort to the Lord--where we will cry, “Without thy help, I will fall. Help me fly.” Go to the edge where miracles happen. Move into the realm of the miraculous." --Elder Jeffrey R. Holland